WINONA, Minn. — Saturday afternoon's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball game between Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Gustavus was a classic 2015 rendition of "The Tortoise and the Hare."
It didn't matter how fast—or how big—a team would lead by, it would only be a matter of time before that would change.
In the 40-minute Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown at the Saint Mary's Gym, the Gusties owned runs of 10-0 and 16-0, while Cardinals put together runs of 16-1 and 20-2.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, those two runs—and their combined 36-3 scoring advantage—proved just enough, as Saint Mary's held off the Gusties 74-67 to snap its season-high four-game losing streak.
The Cardinals had to play catch-up early in the first half, spotting Gustavus a 9-4 advantage, but once Saint Mary's got things rolling, it was full-speed ahead.
Saint Mary's used a 20-2 run to transform that five-point deficit into a 13-point, 24-11 lead with 10:05 left in the opening half. The Gusties cut the Cardinal advantage to two, 31-29, before Saint Mary's closed the game's first 20 minutes scoring nine of the final 14 points to take a seven-point, 40-33 cushion into the locker room at the break.
Molly O'Toole (Plymouth, Minn.) and
Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) led the Cardinals' first-half charge, scoring nine points apiece. The duo hit on a combined 8 of 9 field goals—including a 3-pointer each. As a team, Saint Mary's shot a blistering 61.5 percent from the field (16-28—including 5 of 8 3-pointers.
The Gusties assumed the role of the Hare to open the second half.
After Saint Mary's netted the first basket for a 42-33 lead, Gustavus rattled off 16 unanswered points to take a 46-42 lead.
From there, however, it was all Saint Mary's, as the Cardinals used a 16-1 run of their own—breaking away from a 50-50 deadlock to own a 66-51 lead with 7:00 remaining in regulation.
Gustavus had one last burst left in them, as the Gusties whittled Saint Mary's lead down to three, 66-63—thanks to 10 unanswered points.
But that was as close as the Gusties would get, as Saint Mary's scored eight of the final 12 points to seal the win.
O'Toole finished with a team-best 18 points, while
Emma Schaefer (Falcon Heights, Minn.) and Meredith chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively. The Cardinals shot 52 percent from the field—knocking down 26 of 50 field goal attempts, including seven 3-pointers.
Gustavus, which was led by Mikayla Miller's double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds, finished shooting 40 percent (26-for-64), but were just 1 of 11 from behind the 3-point line.
The Cardinals (3-3 MIAC, 9-4 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, when they host Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.
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